Fate or a Long Awaited Conversation
by LaViaggiatrice
Summary: A long awaited conversation between in-laws.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I simply wish that I could have gone to school with him.

Fate or A Long Awaited Conversation

It was a beautiful, warm spring day and Ginevra Malfoy was enjoying the feel of the lazy afternoon rays on her face as she sit taking in her surroundings with her seven-year-old asleep in her lap. As she mindlessly ran her fingers through the young boy's blonde hair, her eyes settled on her newborn, asleep in her grandfather's arms. Ginny smiled to herself at the sight and allowed three clarifying and mystifying thoughts to settle into her consciousness. One that she sit in the same room as the man across from her with no one other than her children as company; two that she could allow this man to hold, nay cuddle her newborn with, and three that the sight not only was not alarming to her, but even brought a smile to her face and the feeling of contentment that only family can give a person. Yes, Ginny mused, things have changed. And as she watched her father-in-law bounce and sway the baby to sleep, she couldn't help but wonder at the mysteries of life. How amazing it was that she end up here in this moment when things started so drastically different. And as she thought these thoughts, she asked herself questions she never really allowed her mind to form.

Her face must have belied her troubled mind, for she was shaken from her thoughts by the soft gravely tone of her father-in-law, "Is everything alright Ginevra?"

" Yes, it is Lucius, just lost in thought." She responded with a mild blush coloring her cheeks. She did not exactly wish to share the strain of wondering her mind had begun when he began speaking.

"Hopefully nothing too troubling, it is far to beautiful a day for heavy thinking." He said with slight amusement in his eyes that would have been foreign years ago. "But if it would help to talk about it, I am here."

It was this abrupt offer that had Ginny stop herself from the brush off that was perched on her lips. She regarded her father-in-law, not for the first time, through the eyes of her adult self. She saw a distinguished and handsome gentleman, signs of worry and stress permanently marring his features and denoting his age, but not detracting from his looks, looks her husband inherited and she knew their son had to. She looked at him through the eyes of a young mother, and saw the caring and generous grandfather who seemingly always had time to read his grandson to sleep and who took said grandson out flying every afternoon on the best, most authentic toy broom money could buy. And most impressively, she looked at the man sitting across from her through the eyes of a grown up Gryffindor girl who bore just as many scars as her companion and saw a changed man. One she was proud to admit she was fond of, even loved. And it was with the confidence of their current relationship that Ginevra Malfoy asked the one question she had always wanted answered.

So she asked with a slight smile on her face and in a tone more curious than accusing, and asked, "Why me?"

To his credit, Lucius didn't allow any fake emotion to cross his face. Nor did he try to play dumb. He simply looked up from where he had been smiling at his granddaughter and studied Ginny for a minute.

"Because you were the youngest and the only girl. Because I knew that would hurt your family the most. I won't do you the disservice of pretending that I did not know what it was or what would happen. I didn't come up with the plan, and at that point I truly thought he was gone from this world so I thought that any damage would only hurt you and your family. The raids were beginning again and I knew that I had to dispose of it.

"I knew that if you were caught with it that your family would suffer and for the most part, that was the main idea. I wanted you to get caught, to have your family shamed. When...when the chamber was opened. When I heard of the happenings, the petrifications, the chickens, the blood. I refused to think of the full parameters of what was happening and only thought of the consequences that would befall your family.

"I, I allowed myself to celebrate in thinking that I had done what I set out to do...destroy your family. Because, Ginevra, if Potter hadn't been there and...well...it would have destroyed your family. Yes, before you ask. I did smile because I was proud of what I had done. And because you deserve to know, it wasn't until eight years ago that I truly repented and allowed myself to feel ashamed for it. And...I am sorry."

"I did't ask you to provoke an apology. That was not my intention, I was merely curious. But thank you all the same. I accept your apology, but in fairness you should know that I forgave you after that first dinner we had together when Draco and I began dating. When you said thank you to the house elf who served you your fire whisky I knew you had changed. But I can honestly say that it wasn't until about six years ago that you fully gained my trust. And now I must thank you for giving me an honest answer." Ginny smiled at him as Lucius nodded. The long awaited words finally bringing closure to the in-laws.

Appearing more comfortable now than ever-which really isn't that noticeable because in the end a Malfoy is a Malfoy- Lucius allowed a smirk and continued, "When Cissy first told me of your courtship with my son I, as I'm sure you know, threw a fit so to speak." He shifted his arms so that the baby was more comfortable, "but not for the reasons I believe so many thought."

"You didn't want a constant reminder of the past to haunt you now that you had changed." Ginny said with her own smirk of understanding.

"Yes, I believed fate had doled out one more last bit of ironic justice. I knew by the way, when I fist spoke to Draco about you, just a day after Cissy first told me, that you were going to be the next mistress of the manor. Oh! Don't be so surprised Ginevra. Draco didn't tell me, I am not sure he even thought of it at that time, but the way he spoke of you, the way his eyes lit up, I knew. It was the same way I was when I had met Narcissa. And I was angry at the Fates for doing this to me. No Ginevra. It was not until that Halloween three years later that you told me that you were pregnant that I let go of the disdain of the irony and allowed myself to see what a charming wonderful woman the fates deemed my son worthy enough to have." In the middle of this confession he had turned his attention back to the sleeping babe in his arms and missed Ginny wiping the tears from her eyes.

It was this scene, a happily weepy wife and a softly cooing father that a disheveled and tired looking Draco happened upon when searching for his family after work. Walking over to the sofa and dropping a kiss to his son's forehead and to his wife's lips, he asked with a smile, "and what have you done now father to make my beautiful wife all teary?"

"Oh Draco, we were just reminiscing." She said with a smile as she caught her Lucius' eye. And in the warm evening rays of the springtime, Ginevra Malfoy found herself pondering the mysterious ways of life and the Fates and how you just never know where you'll end up or who you'll be there to keep you company.

A/N: I have always wanted to know Lucius' reasonings behind the events of Book two, but more than that, I have always wanted him to have to answer to Ginny. I love Jo, and think she is and amazing writer, but in her haste to finish the novels she left out Ginny's character development. And I honestly think that Ginny would have been more affected by the Diary than what we see in the books. I had them relaxed and friendly and almost teasing each other, because I felt that this conversation would only happen in an environment where Ginny and Lucius were both relaxed and comfortable enough with each other to really talk. He would only really answer this question for her in the capacity of father-in-law and she would only ask if she thought he would answer. So, there you have it. My take on a long awaited conversation. And of course, DG because its how it should have happened.


End file.
